End of year fatigue 2023

That end-of-the-year lethargy crept up on me unexpectedly. And it made a statement. Today, the 22nd of December is my last day at work this year, and to say I have struggled with energy would be an understatement. This post was going to be all about how to maintain energy during the last work week in December. But let’s be honest, easier said than done. With that said, I did do a few things differently here and there that allowed me to get work done as efficiently as possible.

Worked from the office

Most of you by now know I work from home more than 90% of the time. I rarely go to the office on consecutive days. Well, this week I had to make some changes because random naps and random Netflix shows, even random errands were screaming at me louder than my to-do list. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy being at the office though. Most days I found myself leaving after 7 pm because it was just very nice and quiet. The best environment to have my head down and focus. Thank goodness for the comfortable chairs, standing desks, fully stocked tea cupboard, and a coffee station with freshly brewed coffee (not that instant stuff). Did I mention that we have proper A/C-controlled offices too? The hot December weather did not intend its experiences to be productive.

Wrapped up my urgent tasks last week

I gave myself a pat on the back for this. As much as I’ve been working this week, the tasks (Microsoft and non-Microsoft related) that had a hard deadline were already done. This week was mostly learning and getting familiar with a new tech stack and codebase. That reduced the pressure.

I still have a few things to wrap up, but all the ones that would give me anxiety because of not completing are done!

Mandatory morning workout + fruits for breakfast

I have a pretty easy workout routine I follow for the year, but December requires a little extra strength to just get into my workout wear. It’s also very easy for me to snooze my alarm and wake up 1.5 hours later, and therefore have no time to workout at all. I made sure to put in 25-30 min every morning this week for a little pump of endorphins. Frankly, I feel great. Not only did it give me some energy, but I’m also taking care of my body by balancing out the holiday festivities 😉 that I will partake in next week.

Regular chats with my loved ones

Sometimes I take this for granted, sometimes I take it as routine or an obligation. This week, however, regular conversations, on the phone and in person, with the people I love boosted my energy immensely. How does that saying go? My cup was filled or some such. I’m not a big talker, but chatting to some people rejuvenated me as opposed to draining me. So if you know yourselves and you’re reading this, thank you, and same time next year!

Slept early

I cannot emphasize more on this!! Sleep is the key! 7-8 hours sleep. Going to the office and coming home later in the evening would tire me out enough to immediately want to go to bed. A hot shower after work would knock me right out! I also think the consistent workouts did something to contribute to a good consistent sleep pattern. December comes with lots of social activities with friends, family, and co-workers. Let’s just say the excuse of having to go to the office the next morning easily kept me from staying out late, actually, staying out at all.

Zero festive drinks in the week 😉

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wish for some mulled wine on one of these past evenings. Since wine has a way of messing with my sleep pattern, I decided to shelve it for the week and stick to chamomile tea after dinner. Boring, but I’m grateful I did it.

Bring on the wine this weekend!

Happy Holidays and thank you for sticking around for yet another year!! ✨🎄